Pandora of the dead
by SLSL
Summary: Everyone heard about the zombie outbreak, it was all on the news. But those who were caught in the middle of this incident had a different story to tell. What really happened on that day? Characters consists of oc's and from anime.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Everything written in this story is fiction. I do not own any ideas from other copyright works that allude or happen in this story.

Prologue

It was supposed to be a normal day, as an ordinary school boy thought while gazing toward the sinking horizon. A zombie apocalypse is the last thing anyone can think of becoming reality, a story that only manifest within fiction. His companion, a girl standing next to him also stares in disbelief atop the school roof. Both of them thought this had to be some sick joke. The world could not possibly end in such a manner. It was here, that the boy named Takashi swore to protect the girl standing next to her. They just killed a friend of theirs who tried to protect them. It was a mercy killing.

'Rei lets go, if we die here, Hisashi will writhe in the afterlife.'

Rei holds on to Takashi's hand tightly 'I know, I'll never be infected alive no matter what, if the time comes, I expect you to do the same as today.'

'I'll make sure it doesn't come to that' replied Takashi. As they begin to descend from the roof, only one thing was certain that today will be a long day.

That day, the beginning of the zombie apocalypse was officially marked as _Z-Day_ by the world. The media reported it as an incident, a pandemic outbreak that caught the world by surprise which originates from Japan. The surprise pandemic caused widespread destruction in terms of life and property loss. With almost complete destruction of the capital, foreign aid poured into Japan with promises of security and reconstruction. Many were grateful for food, water, shelter, and free gifts from other nations such as the United States, United Nations, Russia, and China. Some skeptics were weary that such aid would harm their future. Nothing in this world was free, especially foreign aid. It was simply another form of diplomacy in borrowing money. When the time was right, interest would be collected. However, most people overlooked a third possibility, that the act of foreign aid was actually not lending, but a negotiated bribe to keep mouths shut. In exchange for rebuilding Japan for free without any conditions, Japan was never to reveal the exact details of _Executive Order 13_, _Olay Virus_, and all events during the incident. Everything would be smooth and simple because after all, the audience always loves a happy ending.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Beginning

3 Months Before Z-Day

The cosmetic industry was one of the leading partners in research for skin and body care. With the discovery of the passive _Olay_ _Virus_ or so-called by the parent company, humans were finally closer to solving the problems of cancer and disease. This virus only attached to specific cells as planned, replaces it by taking over the cell, and create new ones depending on pre-programmed instructions. This meant the virus will act as a nano-machine that hunts bad body cells and repairs it with new ones. Better yet, once the virus finishes its job, it would dissipate because the virus literally becomes the new healthy cell. Side effects were minimal and researchers were awaiting approval for human testing. This was when the Umbrella Corporation stepped in.

The Umbrella Corporation, as fictitious as it sounds, was a branch of research and development for the United States Army. The _Olay Virus_ caught the attention of bio-weapon engineers, as it was the perfect weapon. Imagine a bio-weapon that affects the host and will never leave any traces of evidence. For example, a form of heart arrest or high blood pressure bio-weapon that fuses with the host, does the job of manipulating certain body cells in number and quality depending on target health, and kills them without a trace. Consequently, Umbrella Corporation promised human trials for US soldiers on the front lines to enhance their skin care and health. Everything seemed normal. Everything was under control. The only thing that Umbrella was unable to hide was the money trail pouring into Olay, because suddenly everyone was a lot richer in that company.

In the meantime, a meeting was held between the executives of Umbrella and the US Army. It was a dark creepy room where each speaker was represented by holograms in the form of a plague with a numerical affiliation. The plague had the words "sound only", clearly indicating the privacy that each member enjoys.

#4 - 'Those amateurs, spending their money as if nobody cares. It's like telling everybody that we just got bribed and nobody can do shit against us. If it wasn't for needing those scientists and keeping Olay quiet, I'd have them all suicide.'

#5 - 'Don't worry, it is precisely that the deal is legal that they are not afraid to spend their money. The only ones that are willing and can do anything against us are the UN, and we all know how easy it is to send them packing.'

#6 - 'But still, the UN isn't that incompetent, especially the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance – originates from the game resident evil) when it comes to bio-weapon related matters.'

#3 – We already have contingency plans in place. Every possibility is taken into account, including steps to take care of any cowards and parasites.

#2 – Everything is settled then, the fruition of our plans will arrive within 3 months. The prototype is on schedule and developed as we speak.

#1 – This meeting is adjourned.

2 Months Before Z-Day

The United Nations was tracking a suspicious lead about a new form of bio-weapon originating from the US. An unidentified person was leaking information on the net, possibly a researcher that lost their nerve. This happened all the time, after all, there was never a guarantee that one would be kept alive after the product is complete. When you were creating something designed for mass murder, it was best to keep those knowledgeable quiet. Most of the time, the UN were unable to do anything due to bureaucracy. Thanks to the leak being a matter of bio-weaponry, the UN was able to intervene and begun their investigation for preventive measures. They sent the BSAA to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, the BSAA soon hit a dead-end. Right when they were about to meet with the informant, the BSAA were arrested by local police on charges of possession of firearms. This was clearly an attempt to interfere with the BSAA. Everyone knew that they carried firearms, yet they were detained without questioning for 48 hours. Most troubling was the fact after their release they found security footage of their informant being escorted into a vehicle with a plate that read 'diplomat'. This automatically spelled the end of this investigation and the informant.

The UN Secretary General knew that this bio-weapon must have ties with the US Army to warrant such actions by the US government. If what was said in the leaked report was true, about an untraceable bio-weapon with the sole purpose of assassination, it must be stopped. He had no choice but to contact a third-party how had the courage to fight for justice. Sadly, there were only a few choices who qualify to fight against government agencies, and even fewer who were stupid enough to do so. There was only one, a freelance agent named Zero. It was rumored that Zero accepts missions according to his own beliefs, making it unreliable to request aid from him. In addition, the only way to contact him was through a message board on 2ch, making whoever was leaving a message look like a complete fool. Fortunately for the UN, Zero accepted their request. The unexpected part was the huge amount of money requested as his payment. The rumor was Zero does not have a set price for his services. Sometimes he will even work for free. The contract was that Zero was to be paid any amount he requested at different stages of the investigation or mission. The UN Secretary General was reluctant at first, but considering the ramifications of the bio-weapon and the reputation of Zero, he had no choice.

In the dark creepy meeting room filled with plagues…

#4 – 'So the final product is complete.'

#5 – 'We need to begin testing to finalize results.'

#3 – 'We will carry out the tests in Hawaii, we already prepared a suitable location.

#6 – 'Is it secure?'

#2 – 'Of course, who do you think you are talking to? We have enough armed guards and transports that can evacuate the entire facility within 15 minutes.'

1 Month Before Z-Day

With the aid of the US Army, Umbrella was able to secretly turn the _Olay Virus_ into a liquid form of bio-weapon for the purpose of assassinations. By making the weapon into liquid form, this meant it could also be used through vaporization. The final test was to be conducted in Japan, where covert operatives will use the bio-weapon against certain targets. They will transport the weapon from Hawaii to Okinawa, and then into Tokyo. Due to a certain piece of intelligence received by the CIA, the weapon was rushed and immediately transported to Okinawa without any environmental stability tests. Furthermore, the facility was to be immediately abandoned and all personnel relocated.

In the dark creepy meeting room filled with plagues…

#3 – 'What the hell is Zero doing in Hawaii?'

#2 – 'Maybe for vacation? But the timing seems too coincidental.'

#3 – 'One things for sure, he is a walking nuclear bomb, wherever he goes, things blow up.'

#2 –'But if we rashly move, Zero may sense something if he wasn't coming for us. Also, we just began stability tests to see the effects of unclean air on the weapons potential. Suddenly moving the weapon at this stage may cause unforeseen contamination.'

#3 –'Even if it is contaminated, we can always request more samples, I'm sure the people at Olay will be happy to sell it to us at premium price.'

#1 –'We will relocate the weapon and personnel to Okinawa immediately, we cannot afford any accidents when we are so close. By the end of the week, we don't know anything about any facility in Hawaii.'

#2,#3 –'Yes sir!

P.S. - this is my first fanfic, feel free to review, any ideas will be appreciated


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Agent

Zero was not your average agent. He took contracts on a whim and decides whether to accept or decline. Sometimes he would charge a fortune, while other times he would volunteer for free. At the young age of 15, he was one of CIA's top operative. A young Asian male couldn't possibly be an assassin, at least that's what his victims thought. By 20 he had collaborative experience working with CSIS, KGB, MSS, NIS and many others. When Zero announced that he was going into freelance, many people had objections. A competent agent of such caliber being sold to the highest bidder was the last thing anyone wanted. Consequently, the world issued a kill order for Zero. But the manhunt was subsequently called off when the countries realize all their top agents returned home in body bags. Moreover, Zero did not bother to even threaten the countries about revealing their dirty secrets. It was considered impractical in terms of cost effectiveness in attempting to kill Zero. As a result, if you can't beat them, join them. Nowadays Zero keeps a neutral relationship with all his business partners.

5 Days Before Z-Day

A man walked along the silent corridor of a research facility. Wearing smart sunglasses (can zoom in or adjust vision brightness) and a bullet proof trench coat, normal people would think he was going to attend a cosplay convention. Being an expert in the art of dual wielding, he was armed with 2 large dual pistols that can fire armored piercing or explosive rounds (imagine The Jackal from anime Hellsing), and 2 katanas (Japanese swords) attached on either side of his waist. Each katana had a retractable motor wire connecting the hilt of the blade and the sheath. (imagine something like the 3d maneuvering gear from anime Attack on Titan) effectively turning the sword into a long range projectile or throwing weapon. Zero was expecting combat yet there was none. In fact there was nobody in the facility, which was bad news. It either meant this location was a decoy, or he was too late. He continued to inspect the facility with no luck, the facility was clearly abandoned. As he walked outside to the parking lot, he noticed tiny rocks and pebbles were scattered which created an empty circular shape. He immediately knew that it was the work of a helicopter. The previous tenants left in a hurry and did not bother to sweep the area to conceal their tracks. He reached for his phone and called his client.

'Did you find anything?' It was the UN Secretary General.

'I need you to find all helicopter flight paths that fly by my current location. I mean all, including those not operated by civilians. I found a possible facility they used for research' replied the man.

'We're on it… what the, Hawaii? They actually conducted trials in their own country!' This is bigger than I thought. 'Get out of there immediately, if it was in Hawaii, it means the United States is somehow involved. As expected of Zero, the legendary agent for hire, your reputation for quick results precedes you. I'll wire the payment to your account as discussed and the rest will be deposited as the investigation progress.' The UN Secretary General hung up without hearing a reply. He knew phone calls between him and Zero had to be quick and precise. The phone calls must not be traced. No one can know that the UN hired an independent investigator/spy/saboteur/hacker/assassin to do the honorable work of the peace keepers.

Zero did not investigate Hawaii by chance. It was the logical choice. If you were going to conduct extremely dangerous bio-hazardous experiments, it was common knowledge to have contingency plans. First, you must be able to respond by containment. Hawaii was secluded by sea, a natural prison for the infected as long as the virus was not water or airborne. Second, if containment fails, it must be destroyed. Creating mass destruction was a lot easier on an island then on a continent. There were fewer witnesses. Furthermore, information could easily be restricted or manipulated with the use of jamming devices.

After a few minutes, his phone received information about relevant flight paths. Since Hawaii was situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, there were really only a few choices the weapon could go. Flying west back to United States would prove counter-productive, as they need a safe testing site on their final field test on live targets. This only left flying east. The most reliable ally country in the eastern hemisphere with advanced equipment and standards was Japan.

Zero called the UN Secretary General again.

'Their most likely drop-off destination is Japan, Okinawa. Most likely the final field test will be in Japan mainland, as Okinawa doesn't have a lot of high value targets. Since suicide rates are high, accidents will not seem abnormal. The American bases and special privileges that American enjoys provide the excellent field test without suffering much repercussion. I will not head for Tokyo and continue my work. From here on out, I will go dark for the entirety of this mission. I will only contact you if I need emergency funds or let you on important news. Zero out.'

Zero then dialed another number with the contact name HCLI (from anime Jormungand), or more widely known H&C logistic incorporated. It is a worldwide freight transport company, which often carry arms of all sizes.

'Hai, Koko Hekmatyar des.'

'It's Zero, I…

'Yo! How's it been, heard you have been sneaking and moving around lately, thought you'd be calling soon. Tell you what, I just had a shipment of excess tomahawk missiles, if you're interested…'

'Stop! Stop! Koko, I… So you knew I was moving, as expected of you, no wonder I was late at the scene, the CIA must have known.

'Pretty much, after all it was me who sold them the information that you were coming. It fetched for a nice price, no hard feelings alright?'

'It's just business, and while at it, think you can give me a nice deal on my purchase?'

'Yahari! I was right, you are going to start a war, I'm definitely going to make lots of you… ahem… I mean do business.'

'Anyways, I'll need you to transport a MQ-9 Reaper (UAV) into Japan customized with jammers and ECM on board if possible. I'll also need the control software and hardware.'

'Ehhhhhhhh, only one UAV, why not…'

'That's it for now, I'll contact you if I need anything else.' Zero never understands how this woman can be so energetic in selling goods that murder people.

'Muuuuuu, shy as always Zero-san. Well, it's not like he can hide from me, no one can run away from a weapons dealer after they had a taste of using weapons.'

4 Days Before Z-Day

After Zero predicted the destination of the bio-weapon, the UN contacted Japan and gave them all the necessary information. In Japan, while Prime Minister Abe was in his office busy dealing with political border disputes with other countries. A knock was heard on the door.

'Come in.'

'PM Abe, a report from Japanese Intelligence, they said its urgent and your eyes only.' The secretary hands a folder to the PM.

'That's a rare one, let me see… what…virus, assassination, Zero! – fuck me…kisama American-jin again. Contact the defense and public safety minister. Tell them we have an urgent meeting.'

3 Days Before Z-Day

In the dark creepy room.

#3 –'The package will arrive in Okinawa shortly. I'm sure you got it all figured out in transporting into Tokyo?'

#2 –'Once the package arrives, we will transport it to Japan through the camouflage of a small box of frozen seafood shipment. There is no way the Japanese will turn a blind eye for any liquid shipments coming out of a military base. The only way is through normal civilian postal. We will use a fake crab as the container for the virus, and mix it in with other real dead crabs headed for a local seafood store. Since the shipment will be frozen, we do not have to worry about the virus being overly active. Our agent will then retrieve the virus and proceed with their mission.

#1 –'Make sure there are no traces of evidence left behind, at this stage failure is not an option.'


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Incident

**2 Days Before Z-Day**

Zero easily entered Japan with one of his fake aliases. Currently at the age of 25 and of Asian descent, he could use any aliases such as an employee, student, overseas worker, or resident. Immediately exiting the airport, he got into a cab and took a tour of Tokyo city. After ensuring that no one was following him, he got off the cab and took public transit back to his safe house. Right in front of his door step was a package from HCLI. After settling in his safe house he opened the package. Inside contained the controls for his UAV and the delivery location where the UAV it will be stationed. Zero was fascinated at the drop-off points for large wares he ordered from Koko, since she always manages to deliver with or without precise instructions. This time the UAV was delivered to an abandoned amusement park. Koko and her crew re-engineered one of the roller coaster tracks into a launch strip for the UAV. After some contemplation, Zero decided to call Koko to order another UAV, having a backup could be a worthwhile investment when the situation arise.

'Moshi moshi, Koko des.'

'Its Zero, I wish to order another UAV.'

'Uwahhhh, one is not enough and you want another one, getting lazy on your sorties? Or did you grow a sudden interest in aircraft simulation video games? If you're that interested I can sell you a dozen at…'

'Stop! One is good. I want the same layout as the previous for electronic warfare except for the weapons payload. I want it to be equipped for anti-air combat.'

'Hmmmm, I see, a backup, careful as always.'

'In addition, I want it to be engineered to have floats instead of wheels. I want it to be on standby and lift off from the East Sea. I'll let you decide on the specific coordinates. I assume you can forward the controls to the previous controller you delivered.'

'Gotchaaaa. Oh, just to remind you when you start fighting, make sure to contact me using the alternate channel in case you forget, I wouldn't want investigators searching through my wares unprepared.'

'And also may I remind you, now that I am on **official business.** There will be consequences if you leak my **movements**.

'Uwahhh, scary aren't you, don't worry, I'm very professional when it comes to the contract and privacy of my current client.'

* * *

**1 Day Before Z-Day**

A small rectangular box of frozen crabs was being carried into the postal delivery truck. The mailman considered himself unlucky today. He is working today and it was raining. This wasn't the normal type of rain where you brush off. It was the nasty acid pollution rain thanks to China. Although the government claims the rain does not pose a serious health concern, there was a reason why it was not advised to be under exposure for prolonging periods. The word 'acid' labeled in front of 'rain' was not for fun, the rain was acidic and it burns lightly when in contact with the skin. In addition, who knows what the rain contains as it incorporates the pollution from China. Every kid knows about the water cycle. But imagine a water cycle where the evaporation of water comes from sources such as a river full of dead pigs or toxic waste. It was pouring and he forgot to bring his hat. His mail letters were getting wet. The only item he had that could stop the rain was the box of crabs. Today wasn't very hot due to the rain and the box of crabs was kept in a separate cooling compartment. Since something was better than nothing, he balanced the box on his head and used the box as a hat and cover for carrying the letters. Neighbors were looking awkwardly at the mailman, but they understood the rationale. After each delivery the mailman put the box back into the cooler. Unfortunately, during one delivery he tripped and the box fell to the ground. The lid opened and the crabs fell out. The rain continued to pour and hastily, the mailman put the crabs back into the box.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the fake crab was punctured by a pebble during the fall and the acid rain made contact with the virus. This event wasn't clear until the end when investigators back-tracked the entire incident and reviewed CCTV footage from the streets. The pollution within the acid rain mutated the passive virus into an aggressive virus. Instead of only targeting certain preprogrammed cells, it hunts to take control of all cells, effectively the entire host. It first targets the white blood cells of the host to nullify their immune system, and then follows to merge with the brain cells. By then the host is unable to make decisions and literally becomes a zombie with simple human/virus instincts, namely reproduction. In this case it meant using the host to attack other people and consequently, infecting other hosts by blood.

The mailman continued his delivery. Before he makes the delivery for the crab, he decided to inspect to make sure the crabs were fine. While inspecting, he happened to touch the fake crab and came into contact with the virus through his hand. After he closed the lid and continued with the delivery like he had been doing. He put the box on top of his head and the rain water carried the virus from his hand, along the box and dripped onto his lips. A simple lick of the tongue allowed the virus to enter his body.

* * *

Everyone was waiting, only one day left until the day of reckoning.

The ones responsible for the bio-weapon were waiting for the confirmation call from their agent to proceed with final tests.

The American agent after receiving the package, was waiting for the test results to confirm the weapon status and virus stability.

The Japanese were drafting safety plans for the public and mobilizing the SAT (Special Assault Team) for standby. They also had extra personnel on shift for the next week at the central disease control center as a precaution, considering the possible involvement of a bio-weapon. The Japanese was not going to let the Americans have their way whenever and where ever they want.

The UN was waiting for further news and chances for involvement.

Zero hacked into the American satellite. He was waiting for someone to send a standard encrypted signal or message via the satellite towards Langley Virginia in order to trace the location of the American agent.

The mailman is waiting for his sudden illness and fever to subside.

The virus was waiting for complete control over its host.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Day 1

**Z-Day 1**

**Morning**

Location: Akihabara

It was a normal morning day. The postal service was delivering mail to the people of Japan. However, one of the mailman was infected. When the virus completely took over the mailman, he was at the heart of Akihabara. Being at an area of high density, the virus spread like a plague. People that tried to help were bitten and turned into a zombie within minutes. The speed of a host being completely taken by the virus depends on the amount of virus flowing into the blood stream. In the case of the mailman, since he was infected orally it took longer for the virus to manifest. Police were called in to contain 'citizen riots'. Even with the aid of the police, the zombie plague was unstoppable, as the police were unaware of the dangers and did not use deadly force. The first responders to the scene were completely assimilated by the virus. To make matters worse, those that were injured and got infected fled from the scene without knowledge of the virus. The subways became a massive hotspot for the virus to breed. Slowly, the virus began to spread from Akihabara to the rest of Japan.

* * *

Location: Tokyo Police Department

The Superintendent-General is on the phone with his subordinates while panicking in his seat. 'What the hell is going on, why are we unable to control a small riot probably started by some otaku!'

On the other end of the line, the Superintendent Supervisor was being grilled. 'Sir, according to reports, the rioters are crazy and continues to attack others even with the threat of death. In fact shots have already been fired. Some of our officers even joined the rioters after being attacked. It looked as if there is some crazed effect surrounding the rioters.'

The Superintendent-General was unfazed, 'come on you apes, do you need me to come down to teach you how to put up a riot shield and… hold on… who the hell is calling my other line?' The Superintendent-General presses the hold button to answer the other phone call. 'Hello this is Superintendent-General of Tokyo Police Department we're very busy at the moment… eh... sorry sir I didn't mean… what… yes sir, yes sir, right away sir, but if we start shooting civilians without proper diagnosis, yes sir, I understand sir.' The Superintendent-General then resumed his conversation with his Superintendent Supervisor. 'Listen to me very carefully. To deal with our current situation we are to split our entire force into 4 groups. The first group will form a blockade around the Shinjuku area. The fall back rally point and mission priority is the safety of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. The second group is to secure the underground bio-research lab at Tokyo University. The third group is to secure Niigata Airport. The fourth group is to secure all bridges and setup blockades connecting into Niigata Airport. The definition of blockade is anyone who wish to enter will be strip searched and blood tested for their safety. Anyone who does not comply is refused entry. Anyone who does attempts to use force to gain entry is to be shot. Lethal force is authorized. As of now, we are acting under the orders and jurisdiction of the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Force) and the Prime Minister. If anything should happen to the PM or if unavailable for contact, the next chain of command falls to the JSDF. All civil liberties are null and we are under state of emergency.

* * *

Location: Japan Prime Minister's office

The moment news of a major riot broke out, the government used CCTV's to monitor the affected area. Experts believe that it may be the work of a virus, as the rioters spread from one to another instead of spontaneous. Since the timing is too convenient in regards to the test of a certain bio-weapon. Due to the severity of the outbreak compared to what the UN report suggested, the Prime Minister decided to issue a state of emergency. He sent the SAT to obtain a sample and deliver it to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. Hopefully a cure would be found. Tokyo university would serve as a backup lab and aid in mass production of the cure if found. The JSDF decided to use Niigata Airport as the command center due to its strategic location. First, it was near the bullet train connecting to Tokyo city. Second, the prefecture in the surrounding area contains multiple entry points and could only be accessed by bridge. This allows suitable defense and faster civilian evacuation compared to other airports with few entry points. Third, it is near the ocean leaning towards foreign aid or evacuation to the west. Lastly, it was slightly further away from the Pacific Ocean, namely the U.S. 7th Fleet. If this whole incident involves the U.S., the 7th fleet will definitely be called to take actions which may or may not benefit Japan. The 7th Fleet ultimately serves the U.S. and not Japan. By being further away from the 7th Fleet, it allows the JSDF to mobilize and take their own actions without immediate interference.

* * *

Location: American Agent's Safe House

After confirming the testing results, the agent immediately reported back to CIA headquarters. The test results indicated the virus he had was not the same one he was supposed to have. Possible reasons were errors in delivery or mutations during transport. The news about rioters on the streets seems to be the product of this new virus. 40 minutes later, the agent received new orders to destroy the virus and evacuate from japan immediately. Just when he was about to throw the virus into the oven, knocking was heard from the door. The person outside the safe house continued to knock on his door hard as if it was some emergency. The agent's training kicked-in and pulled out his Glock handgun and turned the safety off. The agent slowly made his way to the door. When the agent was a meter from the door, he heard a loud bang and fell onto the floor. He saw a whole in the door, he got careless.

* * *

Location: American Agent's Safe House

After tracking his target through hacking the satellite communication logs, Zero arrived at an apartment. He felt someone was inside. He knocked on the door hard multiple times to try and get a sense of his target location. Although not 100% sure who the target was or if the person inside is a hostage, Zero an extra collateral damage was acceptable considering the mess outside. He was not a cop, but a murderer and investigator for hire. When he was confident that his target was just meters away from the door he pointed the gun directly at the door at the height of his torso and fired. The armoured piercing round went right through the door and the target inside. Zero then kicked the door open. He saw the agent on the ground, a gaping hole in his stomach. His intestines were spewing out and losing blood fast. Zero also saw that the agent was holding onto the container, possibly the virus he was investigating. He had questions and needed answers. Although agents were trained never to leak secrets, it was worth a shot.

'You don't have long to live, care to share any information that will quell the mess outside?'

'… …' The agent keeps silent with his eyes closed.

Zero asked again, 'so it's the typical American failed experiment making a mess again.'

'… no, it wasn't us… at least…this wasn't supposed to… happen.'

Zero was surprised. 'If it wasn't you or America, then who?'

The agent was slowly losing consciousness, but decided to continue the conversation nonetheless, possibly trying to protect his country by providing any useful information. 'I don't know… virus delivered… not… results different… possible error… see table…' The agent stopped breathing and died.

Zero took the virus and placed it into a sealed bio-hazard bag and into his backpack. He walked over a table filled with lab equipment and test results. It seemed the American agent was not lying. Besides, he intercepted the agent, so the field test should have been stopped. It was conceivable there was another agent. After double checking his laptop and hacking into the satellite again, there were no additional encrypted messages sent from anywhere else. If another agent did release the virus, they will most likely contact the CIA about the mission success. All Zero could speculate was some sort of mutation based on the initial virus, and was somehow released without knowledge. He took out his phone and called PM Abe's number.

'Who's is this?' said Abe.

'This is Zero. I just tracked down the virus. It seems to be the same virus that is causing the mess outside.'

PM Abe was furious. He never imagined the U.S. will conduct such a dangerous experiment in his country. 'Was it the U.S.? Tell me, I'll make sure they get whats coming!'

'Although the virus I have belonged to the American agent, there is a possibility that the Americans might not know anything about this. The instructions the agent got from his package contradict with the virus that was delivered. Ultimately, there is no evidence that can link this virus to the U.S.'

As much as the PM wanted someone to blame, there was insufficient evidence. 'Did you happen to find any cure along with the virus?'

'No, I was hoping that your people at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases will be able to come up with something quick. From what I saw on the news this is one nasty bug. Anyways, can you relay what I told you to the UN, I'm going to head over to the Tokyo bullet train station and drop off the canister of virus to you. Might not be able to do much but you may be able to use it as leverage in future diplomacy.'

'Thanks, but you better hurry, the last train will leave in an hour, the pandemic is spreading too quickly.'

* * *

Location: America secret meeting room

#6 –'What the hell is this mess? What have you crazy bastards done?'

#2 –'Calm down, this wasn't us. In fact we have no idea what is happening.'

#5 –'You incompetent fools, I knew we should not join with you, look what you got us into.'

#3 –'Right now the only information we have is from our agent. He claims that the package and the contents inside do not match. The only conceivable scenario is that someone hijacked the virus or it mutated. Either way, it wasn't our fault. There is no evidence linking back to us so there is no need to fear.'

#4 –'Damn right I'm scared. You guys turned a safe passive virus into a dangerous infectious bio-weapon. Can any of you guarantee that your remaining stockpile of virus will not be hijacked or suddenly mutate and fuck us all!'

'…' The room went silent.

#6 –'I knew it, you guys never have any backup plans you good for nothing soldiers.'

#1 –'Gentlemen, may I remind all of you that we are all tied together on the same boat. If one of us falls, all of us will be dragged into the depths of hell. I mean real hell, we will be used as scapegoats for everything we worked so hard for. So there is only one solution, and that is we know nothing.'

* * *

Location: White House

The Vice President walked into the meeting room. The attending chiefs were mostly from intelligence and defense.

The Vice President spoke, 'As I am sure all of you seen what happened in Japan on the news. The President wishes to know if anyone has anything to say.'

'…' The room was silent.

'Very well, I will tell the President we know nothing and that he has full plausible deniability.' Just as the Vice President was leaving the room he made sure everyone was clear about his message. 'May I remind everyone, that if anyone of you have mixed feelings about this incident, make sure it is dealt with efficiently. The Japanese foreign minister is bothering our President as we speak.'

* * *

**Afternoon**

Location: U.S. Pacific 7th fleet

The Vice Admiral was unhappy. Some major riot is going on in Tokyo. Normally he will ignore something as trivial as a riot to local authorities, but some of his crew was infected and he had to destroy his own ships to keep the contamination from spreading. The Japanese told them to stay put and don't interfere, while there was no message from home on what to do. From his experience, this stinks of some major cover up conspiracy. You don't leave a fleet of ships of this size, especially the U.S. Pacific 7th Fleet hanging simply because the President is eating lunch or golfing. The fact that there was no official response from the Joint Chiefs and the President meant that they are discussing how to smooth things over without a big news conference. There will be public outcry if the Americans were behind such an infectious zombie virus and that the Army had to slaughter their own in order to save themselves. In the end, the orders received were that the U.S. knows nothing and will be happy to aid the Japanese if requested. In other words, don't do anything until the President say so. Since the Fleet serves the U.S., the Japanese cannot order the Americans to provide aid. They can only ask and pray the President will authorize relief efforts.

* * *

Location: Near Niigata Bullet Train Station

As the train nears Niigata station, the train conductor made an unwelcoming announcement. Due to spread of infection, shuttle bus service connecting Niigata was terminated. Many passengers were in a panic as this meant they have to fend for themselves to get to the Airport. Once Zero got off the train, he looked for transportation. The only thing that was available was a bicycle.

'Beggars can't be choosers' Zero thought as he cut the chains with his sword and began peddling.

After peddling for a while, Zero saw a mini-van heading his way. He started waving at it and the driver seems to notice. The van slowly came to a halt and the door opened.

* * *

Location: Minivan

As Takashi and Rei made their escape from the school, they ran into other survivors. With teamwork, they managed to commandeer a minivan and drove away from the school. While a blonde teacher was driving the minivan the group of student and teachers discuss their destination. They decided to head east and into Niigata Airport, the rally point for all evacuees. Along the way they saw a weird looking man riding a bicycle with a trench coat.

'What should we do? Should we stop?' asked Shizuka the school nurse.

However, panicked students in the bus were objecting the idea of letting a stranger in, not knowing if they were infected.

'So you're saying we should just ignore everyone and save ourselves?' said Takashi.

Shido sensei interrupted, 'Takashi-kun, we simply cannot save everyone. This bus only have a few seats, are you going to save a few more people and abandon the rest? I understand your feelings to save others but we can barely survive ourselves. It is cruel, but we should just keep going and pray for his safety.'

Shido sensei's comment hit Rei's nerve. 'In that case why don't you all get off the bus? We got to the bus first by clearing the path of zombies. You lot just saw a chance of safe escape and ran to us attracting more zombies in the process. According to your logic we should abandon you for being a nuisance.'

Shido was angry, he knew that bitch Rei always go against his wishes. Then an idea came to his mind. How about we vote, everyone on this bus votes whether we should stop to save the stranger.' With a total of 7 followers including him, he calculated that he will win the vote. Takashi and his crew Rei, Busujima, Takagi, Hirano, and including the school nurse only amounted to 6 people. The results were obvious. Suddenly the bus stopped. Everyone looked at the driver.

'… Shizuka sensei?' asked Takashi.

The timid school nurse finally spoke up, 'as the both the driver and school nurse, I decide to help him. If you don't like it get someone else to drive hmph.'

Shizuka opened the van door and the man stepped in. Immediately everyone backed away and Hirano aimed his nail gun at the man. They were afraid he might turn into a zombie.

'For a second I might be safer outside cycling with the zombies' the man joked.

'Sorry, but have you been bitten or infected by the zombies? asked Takashi.

The man replied 'just look at my clothing, not even a single blood stain or tear. An hour ago I was on the bullet train that came from Tokyo. We were one of the last trains to arrive, but the shuttle bus service was cancelled. So I borrowed a bicycle from the station and started to cycle east towards Niigata Airport. Then I met you guys.'

'In that case it should be fine, since we are also headed that way' said Takashi.

Suddenly Busujima asked 'By the way, did you kill anyone with those swords of yours?'

Everyone looked at his 2 swords hanging around his waist.

'My family bought these a long time ago, took them with me for protection, hope I will never have to use it.'

Busujima licked her lips and a smirk appeared on her face. 'Hmmmm, is that so.'

Zero immediately knew she was suspicious of him. Busujima looked sharp with her demeanor, he judged that she was probably a blood thirsty person that sensed his strength.

'So am I allowed to sit or do I have to stand near the door the whole trip?' asked Zero

'Oh, sorry, you can just sit at an empty seat' replied Shizuka sensei.

* * *

**Night**

Location: Minivan

As the group slowly head towards the airport, an argument ensued that split the group. Takashi and Rei were left behind and they promised they will meet again the next day near the bridge crossing into the airport.

* * *

Location: Niigata Airport Emergency Command Center

The JSDF were evacuating all non-infected citizens off the coast to Sado, Awashimaura, Tobishima and Okushiri Island. These 4 islands were on the west coast that is within Japan. Through civilian and military helicopter and ships, many people were successfully evacuated. However, these islands cannot possible house all the people coming from mainland Tokyo. The government was awaiting safety responses from Hokkaido and northern Japan, praying that the virus did not reach that far. The Japanese government also requested aid from other countries to allow the Japanese civilians to land in their countries temporarily until the crisis is over. So far none of the neighboring countries accepted their plea. Russia, China, Korea, and so forth, were all afraid of possible spread of the virus in their own country. After a whole day of catastrophe, good news finally arrived at the command center.

'PM Abe, we have a communication request from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases' said his secretary.

'Patch it through' replied the PM Abe. Everyone in the meeting room including his ministers look at the screen.

A woman wearing a lab coat appeared on screen. 'This is Doctor Minami Kusanagi. We believe our prototype cure is almost complete. But we may not have time to complete and mass produce it. The zombies or whatever they are, are close to breaking through our defense lines. Representing everyone in the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, I request immediate evacuation assistance to an alternate location for continuing research.'

'Minister of Defense, what are our options in extraction?' asked the PM.

The defense minister replied 'according to reports of our so called enemy, these zombies act on instinct and are not affected by fatigue or daylight. It is to our advantage to extract everyone from the lab during day time when our troops are at their peak strength. Unfortunately, the doctor's request is clearly urgent, I suggest we immediately send in a squad of SAT to extract the personnel at that location. If the SAT leaves within the next few hours, they should be at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in the early mornings '

The PM nods his head. 'Very well, send the SAT in as soon as possible. Doctor Minami, as PM of Japan, I hereby order you to guard the cure with your life. Even if it is a prototype, it may well be our only hope. Good luck.'

Doctor Minami snapped a quick salute and replied 'yes sir, I won't let you down.'

* * *

Location: U.S. Pacific 7th Fleet.

The Vice Admiral was suddenly awakened by sounds of knocking on his door, waking him up in the process. He walked over and opened the door.

'Sorry Vice Admiral for disturbing you while you are resting, but we have a message from the CIA for you on the bridge.'

'Do those spooks ever sleep, jeez.' The Vice Admiral dressed up and headed for the bridge. After reading the message he was surprised. 'Damn those guys, screwing around aren't enough, now even we are their pawns?'

The Vice Admirals adjutant saw the Vice Admiral grip his hand into a fist to control his anger. 'Sir, is everything ok?'

The Vice Admiral then gave his order. 'Wake up the marines 1st platoon's 1st and 2nd squad. Have them ready to sortie in the next hour. Briefing and mission objectives will be at the helipad and eyes only.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Day 2

**Early Morning**

Location: National Institute of Infectious Diseases

Doctor Minami was busy packing up her research material. The evacuation team would be here any minute. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases was a building with 5 floors and 2 underground level labs. The guards were defending the main entrance and the staircase leading upwards. Due to the lobby entrance being all glamorous and built with glass panels like modern buildings, the zombie horde easily broke in. The guards had to stack benches, tables and vending machines to form barricades. The guards even placed flammable cylindrical tanks near the barricade to act as a bomb in case the zombie breached their barricade. The only escape route for the people inside the institute was upwards toward the roof. Once everyone finished packing they rallied to the roof for extraction. As the crowd of people stood silently on the roof, they heard the sound of helicopter rotors.

"Ah, those must be the SAT, we're saved" said one of the researchers.

As everyone was cheering, Doctor Minami was suspicious. She walked over to one of the guards and tapped them on their shoulder.

"Sorry to bother you but do you or anyone knows the model of those helicopters?" asked Minami.

"Hmm, I'm not sure, hey guys, anyone the model of those helicopters?" said the guard to his comrades.

Then one of the guards spoke up, "yea, I think those are called Black Hawks."

Then Doctor Minami asked the guard who answered her "do the JSDF have those helicopters and are the same as the ones in the sky?"

The guard replied "the JSDF do have them, but they are mostly modified Japanese versions. As for the ones in the sky I can't be sure due to the distance from here."

Then Doctor Minami thought about their incoming direction and asked the guard "the Japanese Forces are holed up at Niigata Airport in the north right?"

"That is correct doctor, now that you mention, why are those helicopters coming from south-east?"

"Are there any sort of military forces in the south eastern direction?" asked the doctor.

"Not that I recall, the only military force in that direction are the Americans who evacuated with the Pacific 7th Fleet."

Doctor Minami thought for a while then made an announcement. "Every listen, we don't know if those helicopters are here to save us. We'll go back down except for one guard hiding behind the roof door. When they land, we'll use the roof top emergency search lights to beam at those helicopters. We have to be sure that those coming aren't here to steal our cure."

Everyone on the roof was scared. They were just researchers and normal guards, fighting against zombies were one thing, fighting humans was another. With an eerie feeling, everyone followed Doctor Minami's instructions.

* * *

Location: Minivan

A minivan heading towards Niigata Airport was travelling slowly to avoid collisions and to reduce noise. Almost everyone in the minivan was sleeping. The passengers had tough a day coping with the disaster. Only Zero and the driver Shizuka-sensei were awake.

Suddenly Zero's phone vibrated and alerted him that his laptop picked up a message from the U.S. satellite. He took out his laptop to check the latest movements for the CIA and the U.S. Army. Zero frowned at the message and started typing furiously.

Shizuka heard some clicking sounds and saw movement through her rear view mirror. She was surprised that their guest was still awake. "You should rest while you can, it may be tiring the next day" said Shizuka.

Zero looked up from his laptop screen and replied, "thanks, just seeing if the internet still works and checking for news. Actually do you need a switch in driving, I can drive."

Shizuka thanked Zero's offer, "thanks but I'm not tired yet, maybe the adrenaline is keeping me awake."

"No kidding," replied Zero. 'Say, are you all from a school nearby or did you drive all the way from the main city?"

"We are from the local Miyaura High School. I am the school nurse. These are my students and the more elderly gentlemen is Shido-sensei. Although some of us don't get along too well, but we should try to help each other in need at times of crisis. How about you? Do you work and live in Tokyo?"

Zero immediately thought about his identity and alibis. 'I am actually on a business trip. I work for the UN and was running an errand for the Japanese government. Then luck would have it and I am running for safety like everyone else. Probably one of the most bizarre days of my life' replied Zero.

Zero than packed his laptop back into his backpack. "Well I'm going to rest for a bit, don't hesitate call me if you need anything or feel tired" said Zero.

"Oyasuminasai Zero-san" replied Shizuka.

Location: Abandoned Amusement Park in Japan

"… receiving transmission … analyzing instructions"

"… primary target location … National Institute of Infectious Diseases … await further instructions when on approach"

"… connecting to HCLI private satellite … coordinates received"

"… suspending stand-by mode … running system diagnostics… all systems normal"

"…MQ-9 Reaper preparing for takeoff"

* * *

Location: National Institute of Infectious Diseases

"This is Black Hawk 1, rise and shine chicks, 2 minutes to approach."

"Roger that Black Hawk 1. Sword 1 to all, lock and load, and remember, our primary objective is to secure the cure for this pandemic, do not waste bullets on non-combatants.'"

All the soldiers replied in unison "sir, yes sir."

The moment the American marines landed, huge search lights flooded the roof with brightness. The guard posted near the roof top door saw the Americans and quickly shut the door behind him and ran to the 5th floor defense line.

The guard jumped behind their make shift defense lines of tables and chairs. 'Doctor Minami, they're unmistakably Americans.'

Doctor Minami replied, "the moment they are within sight tell them to halt, identify themselves and drop their weapons. The PM never said anything about a joint US-Japan extraction, and I will assume these Americans are not acting under the PM. Do not let your guard down, if they do not comply, you have my permission to fire at will. If they are truly here to help, the Americans will contact their commanders to call our PM to tell us to stop firing. Desperate times call for desperate measures, we will fire first and ask questions later. I will prepare to break through the front entrance with everyone else."

"Yes doctor, good luck" replied the guard.

After 3 minutes the Doctor's guards came into contact with the marines. The Marines fired the moment they were ordered to throw down their weapons. Due to the barricade, the guards were able to delay the Marines for a couple of minutes before explosions from grenades blew the barricade apart.

Panicked researchers looked at Doctor Minami for answers, "Doctor what is going on up there?"

Doctor Minami replied, 'clearly the explosions mean the Marines are not here to save us, they are probably here for our prototype cure. We have no choice now but to break through the front door ourselves."

"But maybe if we give them the cure they will help save us?" asked another colleague of Minami.

"There is no guarantee they will save us, in fact they might kill us all to make sure nobody knows what happened tonight" replied Doctor Minami.

As the guards fend of the Marines, the rest of the researchers armed themselves with basic police revolvers for self-defense and rigged the canisters at the lobby barricade to explode. Once the barricade exploded, the researchers ran towards the front entrance. As the researchers ran toward the entrance, they heard gunshots behind them. The marines finally caught up and were shooting at them. The remaining survivors immediately hid behind pillars in the lobby for cover. Just as the situation could not become any worse, the Doctor saw more soldiers coming from the entrance, a pincer attack.

"I wish they could just hurry up and surrender, this is a waste of time" said a marine.

"Right, I can't imagine them surrendering when their life is on the line." replied another marine.

As the firefight continued, the marines notice soldiers coming from the entrance behind the researchers. The marines wondered who was smart enough to rappel down the building for a pincer attack. Just when Doctor Minami lost all hope, the soldiers charging from the front entrance fired at the marines.

A Japanese female soldier yelled loudly while firing, "Doctor run, we'll cover you." The female soldier and her compatriots charged the marines with full auto suppressive fire from their assault rifles and took positions next to the survivors hiding behind the pillars.

The female soldier looked at the Doctor next to her. "Doctor Minami, my name's Rika, squad leader of this SAT. Sorry for being late, do you have the cure?"

The doctor looked up with tears of joy and replied "yes, the cure is inside this tiny container."

Rika smiled back, "I hate to say this but we must retreat first while your friends and my comrades fend the Marines. Even if we are the SAT, we are half the number of their forces and we're low on ammo. We didn't expect a fight with humans. We came in guns blazing only after noticing helicopters leaving the institute. That's when we realize someone beat us to the punch."

In the meantime, a UAV was nearing the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. The UAV was awaiting further orders. While hovering atop of the institute, the UAV video camera captured the scene of the SAT members charging the institute with guns blazing. Zero watched the scene unfold on his laptop. He was too lazy to manually control it and was using simple auto pilot commands. When Zero confirmed that the doctor was escorted out by a female SAT, he typed on his laptop and then closed it.

Rika and Doctor Minami were running outside the institute. As much as they both hate to abandon their colleagues it had to be done. It was simply impossible to obtain victory against those odds. As they ran they saw a UAV heading their way.

"Get down" yelled Rika as she pushed the doctor onto the ground. The UAV fired 6 out of 14 hellfire missiles right into the lobby, destroying everything on level 1 and collapsing level 2. It then fired 2 more missiles at both levels 3 and 4 stairways, killing any marines trying to escape through the roof and destroying the stair case. Lastly, the UAV fired 2 missiles at the remaining support pillars on either side of the building and flew away. The stunned SAT member and the Doctor simply sat on the ground as they see the entire building fall to ruin in front of them. All that was left was a pile of rubble. After a deep breathe, Rika got a hold of herself and assessed the situation.

Rika tried to get the doctor's attention. "Doctor Minami… Doctor… Minami-chan!"

"Minami snapped out of her daze and responded, "I'm … ok …, what should we do now?"

"We'll head towards the Tokyo University underground bio-lab. The underground lab has not been breached. We will hot wire a car and drive there. We should be there before noon."

Minami nodded and made a somber comment, "they killed everyone just for this cure."

"They even sent a drone to make sure no evidence was left" replied Rika.

Rika then took out her phone and reported the incident to high command. As Rika escort the Doctor, she felt something was missing. Why did the drone let them go? The marines clearly have the upper hand, the UAV could simply act as support for the marines chasing them instead of killing them.

* * *

**Morning**

Location: White House

The President of the U.S. sat in his chair looking at his Secretary of Defense and the Director of CIA.

"I just got off the phone with the Japanese again. I don't expect to know, hell I don't even want to know every detail of our operations. But when shit hits the fan, I need to know my options. So who is going to start talking about why 2 squads of marines landed in Tokyo without my explicit orders?" asked the President.

The Director of CIA answered, "we believe the Japanese developed a cure to the zombie problem they are having, and thought that we could benefit the world by obtaining it."

"And it failed spectacularly?" asked the President.

The Director looked at the Secretary of Defense and replied "it was off to a good start until a UAV massacred everyone."

The President also looked at the Secretary of Defense. They knew that the CIA used operatives for their mission and that UAV's were property of the US Army.

"Don't look at me, I did not authorize any UAV missions into Japan. If there is a UAV it's not ours" said the Secretary of Defense.

The President sunk into his chair, "great, a botched mission due to a third-party, isn't that great. Anything else I should know about now that everything is screwed?"

Secretary of Defense looked sheepishly and said, "actually there is one more thing. We can deny everything but there is one thing that can implicate us directly. The virus canister that was delivered to our agent contains an embedded tracker that links up with the US satellite."

The President looked dumbfounded, "well what's the problem, just destroy it?"

The CIA Director replied, "our agent has not replied our calls and the canister is moving towards the Japanese temporary command center as we speak. We do not know if the agent gone rogue or someone else has it. We cannot disable the tracker and shutting down the satellite is unthinkable since we use the same tracking device for other things."

"Christ, so what are my options?" asked the President.

"Wait and hope for the best, we don't know what's going on exactly or if the Japanese will even use it against us or a bargaining chip" said the CIA Director.

"Or we can use tactical nukes and use some excuse" suggested the Secretary of Defense.

"You are nuts, I like surprising ideas. I'd like to keep my options open so make preparations. That will be all today gentlemen."

* * *

Location: Bridge Crossing to Niigata Airport

Everyone was annoyed at the slow progress in crossing the bridge and into the Airport. Checkpoints were set up at every crossing and those infected were mercy killed due to having no cure. The atmosphere of the passengers in their vehicles was one of boredom. Having nothing to do and stuck in a humongous long line of cars.

Zero suddenly stood up. "Everyone, I thank you for your hospitality and I wish to walk my rest of the way. Although cheating the line is not my usual conduct, I have my reasons."

As Zero stood up and walked to the exit Shido-sensei spoke up. "May I request you to reconsider Zero-san. These students require adult supervision to ensure their safety. Besides don't you think you should come with us as a token of appreciation of us picking you up on the streets?"

"I don't see how sitting here for another couple of days in this bus will achieve anything in terms of safety. In addition, when you took me in, nobody mentioned any clauses or rules that I must abide or accomplish. Therefore I do not feel I specifically owed anyone anything" replied Zero

Saya also spoke up as she saw a chance to leave the bus. "Zero-san is correct, we are also planning to leave anyways as traffic is barely moving. More and more people are travelling by foot if you haven't noticed."

Shido replied with a cunning smile, "well of course you may leave, this is a free country after all. But Shizuka-sensei please stay behind."

Shizuka was scared at Shido's intimidation. "Why must I stay?"

"That is because you are the school nurse and the driver of this minivan. It is your duty as an adult and a nurse to take care of people in your care is it not. These students of mine depend on you" replied Shido with a guilt trip.

Just when Shizuka was about to cry for help, Khota stepped in to cover for her. With the threat of his nail gun, Shido backed off from pressuring Shizuka.

Then Zero walked next to Shizuka, "Shizuka-sensei, I do not owe you anything, but I will do you a favor for giving me a ride. Do you wish to stay on this bus, or come with us, it is your choice and yours only."

Shido was angry that a stranger just intrudes into the conversation. "Hey just because you got a ride with us doesn't mean…"

Zero took out his gun and pointed at Shido. Everyone was surprised at the size of his gun as it did not seem like a normal pistol. "Law and order exist to keep society running in harmony and efficiently. Without the police or army, it simply boils down to survival of the fittest and I am a man standing in front of you with a gun. Khota's nail gun might just hurt a bit, but mine is designed for killing." Zero cocked his handgun. "I will not allow you to take away Shizuka's freedom of choice."

After couple seconds of silence, Shizuka decided to leave the bus. Zero then bid farewell to Khota, Saya, Saeko and Shizuka and started running towards the bridge. They were surprised that Zero could run so fast with his backpack and the weapons he carried.

"Zero-san is definitely not a normal person," said Saya.

"I agree, his pistol is abnormally large. Also, running right from the beginning from here and we can still see him running at such a pace meant he is physically fit," said Khota.

"Most likely a soldier of sorts" commented Saeko.

The group of 4 continued to walk towards the bridge while the Shido and his group of students remained on the bus moving inch by inch.

* * *

**Afternoon**

Location: JSDF Command Center - Niigata Airport

A Minister of Defense approached the PM, "PM Abe, we have a report at one of the checkpoints that a person named Zero is operating under orders to deliver the proof of cause for this whole incident."

"Send him here immediately" replied the PM.

After an hour of body searches and security clearance, Zero finally reached command HQ.

"Zero, thank you for coming all the way to deliver this canister" said the PM.

"As much as I want to give it to you, you might have to reconsider depending on the situation" replied Zero.

The PM was baffled, "what do you mean?"

"During my body search I asked your men to also check for radio signatures and scan for tracking devices. As expected the U.S. had a tracking device installed inside along with the liquid virus. Removing the tracker may prove hazardous as we have seen. Furthermore, now that they know for sure we have the virus that can implicate them, they may try to retrieve or destroy it in some sort of way. Keeping this here may become dangerous for civilians taking shelter here. From hacking the U.S. satellite, I can tell that similar incidents like the one at the institute may also happen here. The difference being huge civilian collateral damage."

The PM closed his eyes and started thinking. "I assume there is no safe place to hide the virus. Sorry Zero, I guess we have to bother you again. But you probably already knew" said the PM

"Just keep my bank account full, I am considering this over-time" replied Zero.

The PM replied "of course, also can you head to Tokyo University. As you know a cure is being developed. I want to ensure the cure will be in capable hands. I am now officially proposing a new contract with you, with over-time pay of course. I need you to aid in mass producing the cure, and escort or deliver the cure back to HQ."

"Very well, I accept your contract" said Zero.

Just when Zero reported his current status back to the UN Secretary General, personnel at the base suddenly became hectic. A soldier ran into the command post. "Sir, the zombie horde is fast approaching our bridges, the checkpoints are being overwhelmed by both civilians and the zombies alike!"

"So it has finally come to this. Tell all checkpoints to save as many civilians as possible and blow the bridges when they deem fit. Safety of the blockade is prioritized over human life" replied the Minister of Defense.

Zero looked at the PM, "I guess I better get going before all the bridges are blown."

"We can give you a ride using a chopper" suggested the PM.

"I'm sure you can put it to better use by evacuating civilians. Besides taking a helicopter with the tracking device active will give the US Army a chance for missile target practice. I'll be blown to pieces in mid-air. Ground route seems to be the best. I'll see you later, good luck" said Zero.

"Same to you" replied the PM.

* * *

Location: Air

"… receiving transmission … instructions received … targets located"

"… weapons check … remaining missile count … 2 … unable to complete third objective"

"… new orders received … overload engine prior to crashing … mission objectives confirmed … executing"

Location: Bridge Crossing into Niigata Airport

As Saya, Khota, Saeko, and Shizuka fought on the bridge , they regrouped with Takashi and Rei. The group was starting to panic at their situation as the checkpoint already stopped civilian entry. The checkpoint was preparing to blow the bridge and civilians continue to head their way not knowing that the bridge was out of service. To make matters worse, the zombie horde is behind the civilians, meaning they are currently being pinned to a wall.

"Takashi, what should we do, we're going to get overwhelmed once the zombies infect the civilians heading our way" said Saya.

"I don't know, we don't have a choice but fight" replied Takashi.

Their ammo is running low with no way out. Jumping into the river seems tempting, but the water current will simply swept one away. Suddenly an explosion was heard. They saw some black smoke from afar. They saw an unbelievable sight. Khota was the first to lighten up with joy, because he saw a MQ-9 Reaper in real life. However, their astonishment soon turned sour, as the UAV fired a missile at the bridge next to theirs, causing the middle of the bridge to break apart. Humans and zombies were blown away in the process.

"Is this for real, the army is going to kill us all, I thought the JSDF is here to help us?" asked Takashi.

"It's too late for that, the checkpoints were all close, they were going to abandon us anyways" replied Saya.

"Leaving us alone is one thing, but murdering us along with the zombies is just wrong" said Takashi.

"I don't think that UAV is with the Japanese, the U.S. Army hasn't sold Reapers to the JSDF yet, or at least not that I know of. It might be controlled by the U.S." replied Khota.

"I don't give a fuck who is controlling it but it is coming our way, what should we do?" asked Saya.

"Is it just me or the UAV seems to be heading straight for the crowd up front?" said Takashi

The UAV circled around and crashed itself right into the middle of the zombie horde and exploded. The group looked in awe, unable to explain why the UAV crashed itself instead of blowing the bridge.

Suddenly a familiar voice caught the group's attention. "Seems like our path is clear" said Zero.

"Hey, so you didn't make it in?" asked Takashi.

"No, I went in and came back out, working over-time. Let's get out of here before more zombies come, we will talk later" replied Zero.

Location: JSDF Command Center - Niigata Airport

"Where the hell did that drone come from?" yelled the PM.

"We don't know, but it did help us secure the checkpoints from being overrun by zombies. Since we don't own any drones, the best bet is Americans" replied the Minister of Defense.

The PM thought to himself, "why are they helping us, or do they have ulterior motives? Furthermore why crash the drone into zombies instead the bridge. Something is going on."

* * *

**Night**

Location Rika's Residence:

Zero and the group of students headed for Shizuka's friend's place for resupply. Zero told the group of his job and experience in the field. He also told them squad formations, basic combat maneuvers, and how to use their weapons efficiently. Khota instantly became a fan of Zero.

"So where are you headed after taking a rest?" asked Saya.

"I will be going to Tokyo University. There is supposed to be a cure" replied Zero.

"How are you going to get there, it is very far?" questioned Khota.

"The bullet train should still work, I'm going to try my luck there first" replied Zero.

"We are actually planning to go to Saya's home to check on his parents first. It is also the same direction of the bullet train station, would you be willing to help us a bit?" asked Takashi.

"Sure thing, but I cannot guarantee your safety, my mission will take priority at all times" replied Zero.

The group reached the residence of Shizuka's friend. To their surprise the place was stocked with firearms and ammunition. As they were resting, the group Saeko noticed that the zombies were starting to gather due to light and sounds.

Zero was checking his laptop for news and movements of the US Army. He noticed some unusual movements in the formation of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Just to be safe, he decided to call his arms dealer. "Hi, it is Zero."

"Yea yea, you better be buying lots to call me during my beauty sleep" replied Koko.

"Do you think you can position a SAM vehicle with ABM capabilities in Russia Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?" asked Zero.

"… I believe so, but it will cost you an arm and a leg, bribes must be paid" replied Koko.

"I know you don't work on credit. I'll pay for the bribes and SAM vehicle first. Then send the bill to the Japanese government for every missile fired. I'm going to control the firing through your private HCLI satellite" said Zero.

"Very well… I hope you know what you are doing. A SAM vehicle suddenly appearing is not going to end well with the Russians or the Americans. Good luck" replied Koko.

Then Zero called the South Korean President, it was time to call in favors. Suddenly, everyone in the room was alerted to gun shots. Khota was firing his weapon, and it attracted a lot of zombies.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Day 3

**Early Morning**

Location: Rika's Residence

Zero immediately cut his conversation short with the South Korean President when he heard gunshots. As Zero finished his conversation ,"so we'll have the joint annual military exercise as planned, thanks for your help" he quickly went up to the balcony to see what transpired. Just as Zero reached the balcony, he bumped into Takashi who was walking in a hurry.

"Slow down, what happened?" asked Zero.

"We are going to save a little girl that is about to be eaten. Khota's going to cover me from here with his sniper rifle" replied Takashi. Just when he was about to walk past Zero, he was held back by a hand.

Zero then questioned Takashi, "what if Khota runs out of ammo?"

"Eh?" was all Takashi can come up with, his mind was blank. "It doesn't matter. But we got to help her, her dad just died in front of her."

Zero slapped both his hands Takashi's his face. "I'm not telling you to watch her die, I'm asking you if you had thought it through, do you have backup plan? People don't fail to plan, they simply don't plan to fail. Never stop thinking, the moment you seize to think, you are no better than dead."

Takashi simply looked at Zero, his words were made him felt like an amateur, hell he is a kid.

Zero then released his hands off Takashi's face, "What are you waiting for, now go, I'll back you up this time. Remember, you are the group's leader, I may disappear whenever I desire, so you cannot count on me to be with you."

It was decided that Takashi will use the bike stored in the shed to get to the little girl at maximum speed. Zero then briefed the group. "Our goal is to save the girl, and then retreat to another location as this place is no longer safe. Takashi will dash towards the house, shut the gates and secure the area. Khota will provide cover. If you cannot secure the gates at that house where the girl is at, you will be overrun in seconds and its game over. Once that is complete, the rest of us over here will pack-up and rendezvous with you in this Humvee. Takashi, you will have to help yourself until we can get there as it takes time to pack. That is all. Next time it will be Takashi that will be briefing. Any questions?"

Saya put up her hand and asked, "is there anything we can do if Takashi fails to close the gate or is having trouble?"

Zero replied, "not really, except honk the horns of the Humvee and hope most of them will turn towards us. Expending all our ammo to save Takashi is not an option in terms of cost benefit. Of course, that is only my opinion, if you wish to become completely unarmed afterwards, be my guests."

Takashi spoke up, "this is a fight that both I and Khota decided, and I will not drag any of you with me. If I fail to close the gates, just leave me."

Just when the group wishes to interrupt, Zero walked towards Takashi and slapped him. "Wrong answer. You already forgot everything I said to you up at the balcony?" Takashi recalled their conversation and apologized for making such remarks. "Thank you Zero-san, although I currently cannot come up with any new ideas, but please help me and back me up along the way." The group smiled at Takashi's positivity and got to work.

10 minutes later, Takashi successfully reached the girl and closed the gates. However, he was stuck. Khota was watching Takashi through his sniper rifle lens and was feeling panicky. He went downstairs to help the rest of the group pack. "Zero-san, Takashi's been surrounded, should we go help him?" asked Khota.

Zero replied, "no, we stick to the plan. Besides, if he understood what I said to him, he would look for another way out or at least start moving upwards to higher elevation whether through climbing or jumping. If a fire is burning below you, the only things you can do is put it out, escape upwards, or go around it."

Once the group finished packing they immediately drove towards Takashi. By then the group already saw Takashi walking on the ledge with a little girl behind his back. Once they stopped at the middle of the road intersection meters away from Takashi, the Zero and Saeko jumped off the vehicle and took a side. Zero gave orders "Khota and Rey keep the zombies off the vehicle and cover Saeko if necessary, I'll take the vanguard towards Takashi. We don't need to kill them all, just delay them. Keep calm and we got this, there aren't that many now we split the road into 4 parts. Rey take aim at those in front of the car, Khota the back, Saeko fend off the left side. "

With that, Zero knelt to the ground and drew his sword in a horizontal slashing motion. He threw his sword side-ways while pressing a button on the hilt of the sword. The sword projected out and swung in a 180 degree arc. Zero then pressed a button on the sword's sheath. The motor retracted the wire connecting the sword hilt and the sword was back in Zero's hands within a second. The zombies in front of Zero all fell to the ground, their legs were all cut off. The zombies that fell to the ground continued to press forward by trying to claw their way forward. But the zombies behind were moving at a faster pace, stepped on the ones that lost their legs and fell on top of them. It was a weird scene of chaos. One tripped after another, as the ones on the ground were flailing their hands tripping over even more zombies that stepped past them. Zero then swung his sword again in the same manner, except at neck height. The result was a whole row of zombies got beheaded. And fell to the ground. The headless bodies blocked the zombies that were crawling forward with their hands. The group was surprised at the calmness of their commander and the effectiveness of his overall strategy for stalling time. After holding the zombies off a minute, Takashi and the rest of the group jumped into the Humvee and drove off.

* * *

**Morning**

Location: Humvee

Most of the group was tired and slept, as the group travelled towards Saya's home. Zero and Shizuka-sensei took turns driving. Zero pulled over near a river so the group can refresh themselves after they woke up. While everyone was still asleep, Zero checked his laptop. The situation is dire, the virus managed to spread out of japan. Unlike Japan, most countries managed to contain the virus due to being aware of the news in Japan. Even so, the President of the U.S. had evacuated to Air Force One. This meant the White House was compromised, even if it was temporarily. Zero then contacted his reliable arms dealer through the HCLI private satellite.

"Its Zero, how is your progress?"

"Travelling slowly, will take at least another week. After all we weren't exactly invited."

"I'll see if I can speed things up for you, you'll know of the results if Russian patrols disappear."

Zero hung up and called the Russian President.

"Hi Putin, its Zero, how have you been."

"Nice to hear from you, heard you were in that mess and thought the zombies might killed you."

"No way will some mindless zombie get me, anyways; I called you for a favor."

"Depends on the occasion."

"Some volunteers are on a hiking trip to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. I was wondering if you could aid them by clearing the forest so a suitable path appears."

"I think it can be arranged, what exactly is their purpose for this trip?"

"Eagle hunting. Some eagles might be flying around Japan and they are there to help with protecting the Japanese natural habitat by keeping an eye from Russia due to its excellent vantage point. It will be problematic if foreign species suddenly invaded the locals. The Japanese birds don't stand a chance against high flying eagles"

"Hahaha, well of course, you can forward to the Japanese PM that Russia will not interfere with such noble work. However, since we have to make sure your volunteers do not accidentally harm our environment in the process, they will be observed by our own volunteers."

"Well of course. One other thing, I wish to help with your UN de-nuclearization projects by donating some money. But I think I can only help with one nuke as they are quite expensive"

"Well how generous, may I ask how you will be able to safely dispose of it?"

"The volunteers that went hiking will take care of it. They will dispose of it and also travel to North Korea and share the knowledge on how to generate nuclear power to better enhance their livelihoods."

"Ahhhh, never knew you to be such a humanitarian. Nevertheless, your aid is appreciated. Just make sure Mr. Kim is aware of his position."

Once the group woke up, they washed themselves and continued on their journey towards Saya's home.

* * *

**Afternoon**

Location: Humvee

As Shizuka was driving over zombies, Saeko suddenly yelled out, "there is a wire barrier, wheel the car sideways!" The Humvee crashed into the barrier on its side and ejected Rey onto the ground. Takashi immediately jumped off to cover Rey. Khota began firing from the top hatch. Zero looked out and it was clear they were vastly outnumbered. They have to get over that barrier. Zero stepped out of the vehicle and drew both swords and said, "you guys hurry up and get over that barrier, I will buy you time." However, panic spread among the group, they were dropping ammunition and wasting precious time.

Zero yelled, "Takashi, you are the leader, take command, your goal is to get over the barrier."

Takashi busily replied "How?"

Zero looked at the Humvee and replied "It is your turn to lead, remember what I taught you and keep thinking." Right after his comment, Zero pushed forward and tried to break through the zombies towards the staircase leading up to the road above them. In the process, Zero managed to attract the attention of some zombies and bought the group sometime. Meanwhile Takashi finally realized how stupid he was. After looking at the Humvee for a few seconds, he realized the wire barrier is not a flat concrete wall, they can climb it. In fact their Humvee was almost as tall as the barrier, they just need to get on top of the car and jump over. Takashi quickly told his group to get on top of the Humvee and jump over the barrier. By the time it was Takashi and Saeko's turn to get over the barrier, it was too late. Their path was blocked by zombies and Takashi's shotgun was out of ammo. Saeko managed to parry the zombies, but she is getting tired. Asking Khota for cover fire may result in friendly fire, as the zombies were in between them.

Takashi then took the situation into account and yelled at Zero, "can you open a straight path for us towards you with your projecting swords, we'll group up and push through in one go towards the stair case."

Zero smiled and replied "sure can." Zero projected both of his swords forward in parallel, creating a temporary line between Saeko and Takashi before it retracted. The zombies that were hit were thrown off balance and were stunned for a few seconds. During those few seconds, both Saeko and Takashi ran straight towards Zero in the line created by both swords and smashed any zombies in the way with their wooden sword and emptied shotgun. Just when Saeko and Takashi reached Zero, Zero told them to duck. By using his twin swords, Zero made a 360 degree slash killing the zombies that were around them. The trio then took a triangular formation and forced their way up the stairs onto high ground above.

It was then that Takashi saw a group of firefighters helping Khota and Saya. These firefighters blasted the zombies back from the barrier with pressured hose. Everything was ending smoothly and one of the fire fighters was actually Saya's mother. Saya looked towards where Takashi was at the road above. "We'll wait for you at our home," yelled Saya.

"Make sure you have dinner prepared, I'm going to be hungry running a detour," replied Takashi.

As the trio attempt to detour, they were beginning to feel fatigue due to the fight earlier. They had no choice but to secure a shelter to rest. They decide to hide in the shrine up at high ground. At least the zombies will be slower marching upwards. As the trio unpacked their gear and began to rest. As usual, Zero was busy typing on his laptop to keep world news up to date. After a while, Zero left Takashi and Saeko to go look for supplies. Zero searched on the net for a hardware and electronics store. He decided that it was beneficial to procure some headset communication devices for the group so they don't have to yell aloud. As a precaution, Zero also decided to acquire copper sheets to wrap his backpack that shields from EMP blasts. A few hours later the trio regrouped and continued their march towards Saya's residence.

* * *

**Night**

Location: Saya's residence

By nightfall, Zero managed to arrive at Saya's residence. It was the first time the group had a decent meal, bath, and shelter. They decided to do proper introductions the next day.

* * *

Location: White House

The chief of staffs and the President were at a meeting. They were discussing the impact and after effects of launching an attack at Japan.

The President asked "what are the repercussions for this attack?"

The Presidents party aide responded, "nothing really, considering we are protecting American citizens and eradicating a dangerous virus, we should not suffer from negative ratings. Everything we do in Japan is for the greater good so god help us all. In fact most Presidents who start a war in their first term have a high chance of getting re-elected."

The President nodded and looked towards his army and intelligence chief of staffs.

"In terms military actions, our army have the upper hand, especially if we have first strike initiative. The Japanese are inferior in terms of equipment and numbers. However, we can only effectively use the Pacific 7th Fleet for our operations and have limited air support from Hawaii. The 7th Fleet sustained minor casualties from initial contact from the virus infection, but have everything under control and is operational" replied the army chiefs.

"However, we have an unknown factor in this operation" the CIA chief chimed in. "A third-party, more like a one man army named Zero seems to be interfering with our operations. By using our satellite, we saw that he currently has the virus canister that links the virus to us."

The army chiefs retorted, "what can a single man do in front of our missiles?"

The CIA chief snorted "let's just say we still don't have any proof as to who killed your 2 squad of army boys with a UAV. Do not underestimate Zero, he has many connections around the world."

The army chief was furious, "if it wasn't for you CIA bastards, our men wouldn't have died in that building in the first place."

"Enough bickering," yelled the President. "From our current perspective, we will first launch an attack with tactical nukes aimed at the major cities in Japan. This will wipe out most of the infected and provide a safer environment for our landing troops if to come. Also, the attack will serve as a cover to erase Zero and the canister off the face of this world. If the Japanese are sane, they will allow us to do so, because it will be foolish for them to ignore our requests. Considering they will never recover on their own in terms of economy and infrastructure, they will need our help and therefore, probably will not oppose us. Any secondary or backup plans?"

The army chief then suggested, "I've always wanted to test drop and get rid of our aging third a-bomb codenamed Average Joe. Doesn't feel too safe to have an expired a-bomb in our storage."

The President was dumbfounded, "we actually built a third one besides Fat Man and Little Boy? I guess you guys really wanted the Japanese to stop our first attack. But man, our ancestors sure like to blow things up."


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Day 4

**Morning**

Location: Saya's Residence

Takashi and his friends never imagined eating breakfast inside a house would be so enjoyable. It has been days of eating canned food while constantly pressured to be on alert for emergencies. Although eating on the battlefield had no effect on Zero, the kids were munching on their breakfast as if there was no tomorrow, gulping down their orange juice with a satisfied look on their faces. Zero have seen that kind of face before, and made him remember the consequences of relaxing before an unseen enemy. It dulls your reaction and creates a false sense of security. As the group finishes their meal, Zero raised the question everyone had on their minds.

"So, we are currently safe and Saya returned home. What will the rest of you do?"

Everyone was silent. For the rest of the group, they wanted to see their love ones, yet the lure of warm bed and food was very tempting.

Takashi replied, "I will continue our initial goal, we will search for the rest of our families and help each other. So I will accompany whoever wishes to venture outside."

The group smiled, only Takashi will be so honest and straight forward in the presence of safe haven.

Saya nodded, "our home will always welcome all of you and your families, so rest assured you can always come back. Since Takashi is going, count me in."

"Alice and Zeke will also help" said the cheery little girl.

Khota looked towards Zero, "Zero-san, will you be joining us?"

"For the time being yes, my job isn't done yet" replied Zero.

"Perhaps we can be of help when we finish looking for our families" suggested Saeko.

"Perhaps, if time permits" responded Zero.

Saya originally planned to introduce the group to her parents, but they were out. So the group went around looking for things to do. The group began to notice the difference of mentality of those who have not experienced combat with the zombies. Civilians live in tents bickering about their freedoms, and adults pretending to be in control. They feel exposed and unsafe, yet it was supposed to be heaven compared to the hell outside. After a few hours of fooling around, Takashi spoke with Saya's father and persuaded him to allow Saya to join them to continue searching for their parents.

As Zero was packing some canned food into their vehicle, his smart sunglasses suddenly flashed the lens with red color multiple times. It was the signal that a high priority message was being sent through the U.S. satellite. Zero immediately went to his room and opened his laptop. The words shown in the priority message was "Code 666 Delta. Targets November Kilo and Romeo Charlie." Time is running out. He then quickly dialed his cell to contact Koko.

"Koko, what is the progress of the SAM!"

"Calm down, what's with the yelling, we're almost at the mountain peak, the sight is actually pretty nice up here and…"

"I need that SAM up and running ASAP now!"

"Impossible, we'll still need at least 5 hours to setup, calibrate, and install all the necessary software. Even if we use manual targeting and pray that it hits something, it will still need 3 hours to set up."

"I understand, just hurry" and Zero ended the conversation. He was too late. The only option now is to pray that the JSDF will successfully intercept those nukes. He dialed for the Japanese PM.

"Hi Zero how is your progress…"

"This is Zero, no time to explain, U.S. authorized nuclear strike against Japan and me along with it, send your navy and fighters in high alert and scramble them."

"Where did you get this information? What do you mean they are attacking you?"

"I hacked into their satellite, the tracker inside the virus canister is acting like a goddamn bulls-eye for the nuke."

"I'll do as you say. If what you said is true, we'll see soon enough."

Zero then took out the virus canister and copper sheets. He furiously wrapped the copper sheets around his backpack. He was hoping the copper will block out the EMP blast from his laptop and headsets inside the backpack. If they manage to survive, the EMP should destroy the tracking device inside the virus canister.

* * *

**Afternoon**

Location: Pacific Ocean – U.S. 7th Fleet

"Captain, Presidential orders came through, it's Code 666 Delta. Targets November Kilo and Romeo Charlie."

"So it finally came." The captain let out a sigh. "Send a message to the Japanese PM and launch our missiles exactly one minute after the message. Tell them not to intercept those missiles, the targets are only meant to exterminate the zombie population and not against the Japanese. Intercepting these missiles will prove disastrous in follow-up strategies."

The Japanese naturally ignored the message and attempted to intercept the missiles. No way in hell will they let a foreign country dictate their future, or nuke them. Unfortunately, one of the missiles detonated within Japan, causing widespread electronic failure due to the effects of a nuclear EMP blast. Luckily for Zero, the nuclear missile heading for them was intercepted. The JSDF suffered no casualties, but lost many outdoor power generators and any unprotected electronics within the blast zone. Overall, Zero's early warning allowed the JSDF to prepare for the worse in advance.

* * *

Location: Pentagon

The President sat with his joint chiefs in the pentagon. Everyone was waiting for the results of the pre-emptive strike. Suddenly the door opened, a man walked in and delivered a report into the President's hand.

"Seems like you guys will be dropping the Average Joe after all." 3 out of 4 missiles were shot down. One made it through and took out the vast majority of the infected in southern Japan. Seriously, maybe we should stop now, considering all the human lives lost."

"One of his military advisors responded, "with all due respect sir, it will be very difficult to gather future support if the world finds out that we had a hand in the creation of the virus, no matter how innocent we are. We are certainly not the most trustworthy nation in terms of keeping promises, but we do what's best for our people. It sounds selfish, but it is your duty as President to keep our people from harm's way, in any shape or form."

"He is correct sir" the CIA chief of staff agreed. "Zero still has the canister, now that we lost the real time tracking capabilities from the canister due to the effects of EMP, we have to use our satellite to manually search for him. By dropping the A-bomb with a follow-up temporary occupation, we will either capture or destroy that virus canister before the Japanese can accumulate all the evidence against us. In addition, the Japanese seems to have developed a cure, so we will be able to help them effectively once we get our hands on it."

The President sighed and picked up the phone. "This is the President, connect me to the commander of this base … Code 666 Delta, Operation Enola Gay approved on Juliet Alpha Papa Alpha November. I repeat Operation Enola Gay approved." He then looked at his joint chiefs, "May god help us all."

"Don't worry, it'll all be over in a couple of hours," responded the joint chiefs. "This time we made sure by plotting the flight path through Russia. Russia does not have significant anti-air defenses just north of Japan. Furthermore, the Russians won't do anything unless they want to risk conflict with us as they probably know our plane will simply pass by given they see it. So even if they see it, we will simply tell them our plane is diverting into the heart of Japan. Japan won't be able to stop us in time since firing armed missiles into Russia air space is a clear act of war, whereas our nuke still have the safety on. Japan will only have seconds to intercept our B2 by the time their radar picks it up."

* * *

Location: Saya's Residence

People within the residence were scrambling to protect themselves. The effects of EMP caused a certain mini bus to breach the gates of the manor. After the group of teens bid farewell to the guardians of the household, they ran towards the garage where the Humvee was situated. Just as they reached the garage, they saw Zero driving it.

"Zero, where are you going?" asked Takashi.

"Towards Tokyo."

"Are you insane, it's filled with zombies there, and it will take a long time to reach there without attracting any zombies. Also this is our Humvee, we're going to find the rest of our parents and lay low" yelled Saya.

Zero glared at the group, "sorry, but I am commandeering this vehicle. I am now prioritizing my mission. You may not like it but if you get in my way, I will be forced to remove you."

The group of teens was frightened, they have never seen Zero behaving in such a threatening manner. Just as Khota and Takashi was thinking of evening out the situation by slowly moving their hands toward their guns, Zero pulled out his gun and aimed it at Saya.

"Her death will be on your hands" stated Zero.

"You bastard" yelled Khota and he immediately held up his sniper rifle.

Zero looked Khota in the eye and mocked him, "I wonder if you will be able to live with the fact that you killed your lover without any benefits simply because you did not let me drive away a Humvee?"

The group knew that Khota would not fire, no one would. It was not worth a human life against a Humvee, especially when they just received care from Saya's family and promised to search for survivors together. Khota then lowered his rifle, followed by Zero.

"Zero-san, why are you suddenly in such a hurry to leave us?" asked Alice with an innocent face.

"I don't want to, but bad people are going to hurt us all if I don't stop them" smiled Zero.

"Is it because of the nuclear strike?" asked Saeko

"Yes, playtime is over. The U.S. will now continue to launch attacks until their objectives are met. Which as you have seen equates to the near destruction of Japan and this virus canister. I have to recover the prototype cure from Tokyo University and let the world know that Japan is still capable of self-governance and any attack from foreign countries will be considered an invasion. Thus, this will stop the U.S. as they will face the consequences of a UN intervention from other countries around the world" explained Zero.

Saya thought for a while, and then suggested "how about we help and join you right now?"

"Ohhh?"

"If what you are stating is true, then helping you will help save Japan's survivors. If you fail, we might all die sooner or later. Whereas helping you ensures most of us live."

Zero was happy that they will consider helping him. "That is correct, but you are endangering your lives by helping me. From here on, I will not hesitate to kill anyone to complete my mission. Are you prepared to become my sacrificial pawns?"

"You may sound tough, but we know deep down you are a good person. The fact that you took your time to travel with us meant you care. Multiple times you could have escaped yourself, in fact you can murder us all to get this Humvee. But you didn't. So let's work together and help save Japan" exclaimed Takashi.

Everyone laughed, "you're an idiot Takashi" commented Zero. "That's our leader for you" said Khota. "Yea, we can travel together again. No more fighting okay." said Alice with a happy face.

Zero looked at Shizuka, "Shizuka-sensei, can you drive, I have to work on my laptop. Our destination is Niigata Bullet Train Station. Hopefully the train is still operational, that will save us a lot of time." As the group got in the humvee and broke out of the manor, Zero was typing furiously on his laptop.

Saya was curious, "what are you doing?"

"Hacking into the U.S. satellite and making a virus. I'm preparing to disable the U.S. satellite above us. We can't have them watching our every move. I'm going to transfer the evidence off of the satellite and then temporarily putting it into sleep mode for a month. By then the outcome of our battle should have been decided" answered Zero.

"What if they found out?" Khota nervously commented. "Isn't it the death penalty for doing such things?"

"Too late for thinking about death, besides they are going to nuke us anyways. Also they are probably too busy marveling a certain B2 that is flying from Hawaii towards Japan" replied Zero.

Khota instantly got into military otaku mode. "What! The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber! Where? Where can I see it? Is it equipped with another nuclear bomb? Will it be doing a carpet bombing mission? Any bunker busters? Which direction? ..."

* * *

Location: Pentagon

The President and his joint chiefs were lazily sitting in their meeting room eating lunch and watching the B2 slowly make its way across the Pacific Ocean. Every now and then the satellite will show the stealth bomber move a centimeter from the world map. Since everyone was focused on watching what the satellite was showing on screen, nobody bothered to check the satellite's inner workings.

"Is it just me or the plane hasn't been moving for a while?" asked the President.

One of his chiefs answered with his mouth full of fries. "Maybe the screen froze, happens sometimes. Let's call tech support."

* * *

Location: Niigata Bullet Train Station

The train station was quiet, void of any signs of life. Everyone that arrived with Zero was on the last train coming into the area.

"The bullet train should still be here if it was really the last trip. Last time I recall it was on Platform 1." Zero then handed out mini headsets to everyone. They headsets were similar to the ones used by call centers. "These might not look impressive, but it should work as long as we are not far away from each other. Do not overly rely on them, we survived without headsets, so we can do the better with them. If someone isn't answering don't go yelling on the headsets, as you will not do that to attract zombies when you didn't have them."

Everyone nodded and began to play with the headsets.

"Hello, can you hear me?"

"Oh you can really hear it."

"This is so cool."

"Ok everyone, listen up," said Zero.

"All of you will go secure the train and make sure there are no live zombies on board our train. As long as the trains till has power, you should be able to use the emergency door opening button to get in. I will head to the control room to make sure our course is as safe as it gets."

The group of kids had no problem securing the train, as everyone on board left the station towards Niigata Airport. Zero also encountered no resistance as train conductors and employees evacuated along with the last train of passengers. After a few minutes, the course was set and train tracks moved correspondingly for a heading towards Tokyo City. There were no alerts of power outages or breaches along the track so everything seems fine.

Zero got on board and went to the control panel. "Shizuka-sensei, I set the train on manual mode, all you need to do is pull this lever up or down to match the corresponding speed indicated on this panel. As long as our actual speed does not exceed what is recommended, we will be safe."

Shizuka was thrilled, she never drove a train before. Her eyes were lit with fiery passion "It's just like driving but with a navigator. This is awesome. Now I can drive at over 300km/h … hehehehehehe."

Everyone looked at Shizuka-sensei with worrisome eyes, praying that this will not be an express train to heaven.

As the group took their seats, Zero noticed a flash of red across his sunglasses. He took out his laptop. There was an email from Koko that read "After speaking with some FRIENDLY conservation officers, we left the hunting rifle on the ground. Delivering your mail to the next neighbor. Make sure you pay us before we reach our destination as this is considered OT."

"What's so funny?" asked Takashi as he saw Zero smirked looking at his laptop.

"Nothing, just that things are finally looking better" replied Zero.

* * *

**Night**

Location: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk

"… aircraft detected … within strike range … permission to fire [y/n]."

"… permission received … missile one launching"

* * *

Location: Pentagon

Everyone in the Pentagon was scrambling around like bees in a disturbed bee hive. Technicians found out that their satellite suddenly became inoperable due to being in sleep mode. To make matters worse, American agents in Russia reported unconfirmed plane wreckage over Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.

The President was furious. "What the hell is going on? Why is everything so goddamn fucked up ever since the beginning of our operations. We don't know what happened to our satellite, and we don't know where our bomber went. Can someone tell me anything concrete so I can say something to the press?"

Suddenly the door to the meeting room banged open wide. A man carrying a silver box with handcuffs attached to his wrist came in. He was a courier for delivering sensitive information. The courier opened the box and gave a folder to the President. The folder contains a single photograph sent by the American agents in Russia. It was a photograph of a plane wreckage that crashed in Russian territory. That one picture alone made the President's face pale. The moment the joint chief's saw the President's face, they knew the whole thing went south. The phone on the meeting table rang. Nobody made a sound or picked up the phone.

The President threw the picture into the middle of the table and angrily scowled, "someone going to pick that up?"

The CIA Director picked up the phone. "Hello…" He then looked at the President, "Mr. President, it's the Vice President on the line, he said the person on the other line of the Red Phone is calling for you."

"Patch him through."

"This is the Russian President speaking, I will be straight forward. What is the meaning of this plane in Russian territory!"

The American President tried to play dumb, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hahaha, my bad, of course you have nothing to do with it. Let me rephrase, what can you do for Russia so that I don't leak these photos to the press? Just so you know we also found the wreckage of a nuclear bomb. Due to the unique characteristics of this old thing, anyone with an IQ will trace it back to the 1940's and the only ones that had a nuclear bomb at that time, was you. If you used a modern-day one you'd probably get away with it."

"Bullshit, Russians shot down an American plane that was on a mission. This outrage act is barbaric and you didn't even consult us before shooting it down. I could have seen this as an act of war.

"You are so funny, do you know what the best part of this story is? It's not us that shot it down, we just found a dangerous American plane wreckage on our lawn. So your story doesn't hold any meaning.

The President was shocked. Someone predicted the bomber's flight path, shot it down, and gave the Russians a gift. A realization hit him – Zero screwed them. Sighing with defeat, he replied, "what do you want?"

"Simple really, nothing."

"!?"

"The B2 stealth bomber is good enough for me as a prize"

"Very well, I'll take it that is all for the peace of the world"

"Yes, oh one last thing. Due to recent incidents, as of now we will shoot down any American aircraft or vessel that enters our territory without prior approval. This will hold true until this heated incident in Asia blows over."

When the American President finished his conversation, he slowly placed the phone back on the table. "Now, tell me, who the fuck told me this plan was a good one? Cause someone has to be fired for this."

* * *

Location: Bullet Train

The group was taking turns driving the bullet train, as it was a once in a life time chance. Zero received a call and was in a good mood.

"Say you're in a good mood, who was that on the phone?" asked Takashi

"It's the Russian President giving me his thanks, and vice versa."

Now the whole group was interested after hearing Zero's reply.

"What did you do to this time to get his thanks?" asked Saya.

"Well, I placed a missile defense system in Russia that is close to Japan and shot down an American stealth bomber. The Russians get to keep the wreckage and salvage any technology within it. A win-win situation for us"

Khota was puzzled. "But how did you know that the bomber will head that way. Stealth technology meant it is hard to detect, so the missile system you placed must be fairly close by to the plane's flight path?"

"There are really only a few flight paths they could take, especially when you are loading a nuclear bomb onto a bomber." No sane country with a U.S. military base will allow them to do so as any accidents with a nuclear bomb will be catastrophic. Also, the country that allows them to do so runs the risk of being the scape goat for the attack as they launched from that country. In conclusion, they will have to launch form their own base from their own country. Hawaii is the closest one from Japan. The flight paths they can take are direct, come from the south, or come from the north. A direct flight will not work due to the Japanese navy. As proven before, they had ships to intercept missiles and naturally aircraft. If the come from the south, it will have to fly through the South China Sea. Due to political tensions between Taiwan and Philippines, and China and Japan, it will be difficult to have an aircraft fly through undetected by anyone. The only option lies in the North through Russia. The Russians at best will tell the American aircraft to leave. So the Russians are ecstatic when I told them my proposal. Getting a B2 stealth bomber wreckage without wasting a single dime is quite a bargain."

"Ohhhhhhhh." The group was once again amazed.

"So what will the American do now?" asked Khota.

"Now that they are blind and can't use aircrafts to attack from the side. Their most likely option is a direct invasion with the 7th Fleet. It will be a head-on fight where losing is not an option for Japan."

The group of kids looked worried after what Zero said. "Now you kids get some sleep, we'll arrive in Tokyo in just a couple more hours. Don't worry, we still got this, we're not out of the fight yet."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Day 5

**Morning**

Location: Tokyo Train Station

As the bullet train nears Tokyo Station, Zero debriefed the kids.

"The moment we arrive, follow my lead and we will head towards Tokyo University. We will not stop to secure the area, we will just head straight to our destination. The university is not far from us, we should be there in an hour or two. Any questions?"

To Zero's surprise, everybody shot up their hands.

"When can we have a break?"

"Alice wants McDonald's for lunch"

"Can we stop by the department store for some new clothes?"

"Can we stop by Akihabara, there are some anime I really want and now that nobody is there, maybe we can…"

Zero then gave them a dead serious look, "how about I leave you all here to fend for yourselves."

Everyone put their hands down with a sad face while making remarks.

"Stingy… monster… evil… meany."

* * *

Location: Pentagon

The joint chiefs are debriefing the President on their next move.

"The battle strength of the Pacific 7th Fleet is approximately about 30% stronger than the JSDF. At best we will have 50% advantage considering the JSDF have to look after their citizens while we are on full offensive. The fleet will first expend their ammunitions on the Japanese navy to destroy them or deplete their ammunition. Then our boys will simply swim up to their shores and over run them, while our navy continues to provide support. The Japanese without their navy will be unable to stop our marines during transit. Our marines will secure the Tokyo Bay and then head for Niigata Airport. They will take control the Airport and then hunt for Zero for the virus canister. We currently predict Zero is heading for the labs in Tokyo University where that is the only safe place left to mass produce the cure."

The President nodded. "Sounds really good on paper, will there be any unforeseen mishaps like we have seen the whole day due to Zero?"

The CIA director responded, "unlike earlier engagements, this is purely a numbers game where we have the advantage and will overrun enemy positions. Even if Zero is good at combat, he cannot survive an artillery or missile strike by a warship since he is human. Furthermore, to ensure Zero have his hands full, I gave orders to deploy Seal Team 9 Alpha Platoon." (idea from anime Jormungand)

The President nodded again, "sounds good, if nobody else have any more to add, we will commence operations ASAP."

The Secretary of Defense was baffled. "I have a question." Everyone looked at the secretary. "If my memory serves me correct, there isn't a Seal Team 9. There should only be teams 1,2,3,4,5,7,8, and 10. So when you said Seal Team 9, I wasn't sure I heard right."

Everyone now looked at the director of CIA. "You are correct to a certain degree. They do not exist on paper, yet they exist. They are like ghosts and do the dirty work we cannot have evidence left behind. In fact they are the ones that got Binladden. They specialize in night warfare, perfect for removing things undetected. Furthermore, this group was trained by Zero when he was still with us, so it will have the highest chance of killing or stalling him. Also don't bother asking how this unit was created or funded, you don't want to know."

* * *

Location: Tokyo University

After an hour of brisk walking, Zero finally arrived at the university lab entrance. The group entered an elevator and descended to the basement levels. Takashi, Rei, and Khota stood at the back facing the elevator doors with their guns aiming at the doors. Zero and Saeko readied their swords at the side of the doors while the rest stood at the rear corners.

"This place was supposed to be secured by local police and the SAT. The fact nobodies at the entrance or rooftop meant they retreated into the basement. Be prepared to fire if anything rushes us but make sure it is a zombie and not a human."

When the elevator door opens, there was nobody. Zero then borrowed a makeup mirror from Saya and placed it just outside the elevator doors to see their blind spot.

"Bang"

The mirror Zero held out was shot by a bullet.

A female voice echoed through the elevator. "This is a secured area. Identify yourself immediately. Any unauthorized entry is strictly prohibited and will be shot on sight. Leave at once if you wish to live."

Zero responded, "we have orders from the PM of Japan to retrieve certain items, you identify yourself."

Silence drenched the hallway.

The female voice spoke, "it seems both of us are experienced enough not to let our opponents know our identity. However, I'm outside and you're stuck inside the elevator, so you will have to yield if you want to come out in one piece."

Suddenly, Shizuka sensei spoke out.

"Rika is that you?"

"Gasp" "Who the hell are you" responded the female voice.

Shizuka happily replied, "I knew it was you, it's me Shizuka, and I'm coming out."

Rika can't believe her eyes that her ditzy friend survived the chaos. As both groups introduced themselves they quickly got to work. Rika was the only guard left alive protecting the doctor, so with new reinforcements, the gang decided to expand their defense line. Zero and Saya will help the Doctor pack the cure and her research. Rika and Alice will go up to the roof and act as sentry. Takashi, Saeko and Khota will secure the entrance area to the elevator.

**Afternoon**

Location: Tokyo University

Takashi, Khota, and Saeko took turns having breaks and ate on the rooftop. Although the building only have 3 floors, being able to rest on an elevation free from zombies provide unimaginable security. The roof gave the group an early alert of zombies and also serves as a last resort for rappelling down to the ground.

Location: Tokyo Bay

"Sir, sonar and radar picking up movement, it's the US 7th Fleet."

"So they're finally moving, have all ships fall back to defensive positions and prepare to intercept. Alert Niigata Airport command immediately."

Location: Pacific Ocean

The US 7th Fleet is slowly advancing towards Tokyo Bay.

"This is the Vice Admiral speaking, everyone to battle stations and prepare for attack."

The Vice Admiral put down the mike and let out a sigh. He never signed up for this, murdering for his country whether it was right or wrong. All he wanted was sail the seas and defend his country.

"Sir, an unidentified helicopter just flew past us below radar detection range. It has a friendly IFF."

The Vice Admiral was furious. "Who dares to perform such a stunt before a major operation? Hail the helicopter immediately."

"Yes sir… communication lines connected."

"This is the Vice Admiral of the US 7th Fleet, identify yourself and return to your position for the impending operation."

A male voice responded, "this is the captain of Seal Team 9 Alpha Platoon. We do not operate under your command. We are under classified orders to fly into Tokyo, do not interrupt us. One more thing, our boss will be borrowing your assets. Seal Team out."

The Vice Admiral is taken back, friendly seals operating without his knowledge.

"Vice Admiral"

He thought to himself, those CIA spooks must be messing around again.

"Vice Admiral"

"What is it, can't you see I'm thinking."

"Sorry to interrupt sir, but one of our UAV's are preparing to lift off and is not responding to our commands!"

"What the…" The Vice Admiral then remembered the conversation with the navy seals. "So this is what they meant borrowing my assets, those CIA bastards."

Location: Niigata Airport

"This is the Prime Minister speaking, as of now, the United States ordered the US 7th Fleet to attack us. It is unfortunate that events led to this outcome, but we must defend our country. We will teach the Americans the true samurai spirit of what it means to fight till the last man. All men to battle stations. Prepare for anti-air defenses and sea incursions. Nippon Banzai!"

"Nippon Banzai, Nippon Banzai, Nippon Banzai…"

**Night**

Location: Tokyo University

Alice is getting bored of staying on the rooftop. Nothing changes and nobody was walking around the streets. The view was scenery of lifelessness. Suddenly, she saw a mushroom in the sky. "Rika, Rika, look a black mushroom."

Rika was diligently performing her sentry duties and ignoring her. "Yea, how many mushrooms do you see?"

"Hmm, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 mushrooms. But they're falling, I hope they don't get splashed falling to the ground."

"Don't worry I'm sure those mushrooms falling… what did you say, mushroom falling, where!"

"Over there"

Alice pointed at a direction, but Rika was unable to make out anything in the darkness. Rika then gave Alice her rifle.

"Alice, use my binoculars to see where the mushroom is and then hold it still and I will take a look."

After a few seconds, Alice found the mushrooms. Rika called Zero to alert him of their findings.

"Zero, paratroopers in bound, my eyesight can't make out any insignia or designations. Alice has better eyesight and is currently helping me look."

"Dropping soldiers near us in the middle of the night only means one thing, they're enemies. We'll be packing and leaving immediately."

After a few seconds, Alice happily reported, "Zero onii-chan, I found a picture on the soldier's left shoulder."

"Good job Alice, describe it for me, what does it look like, any numbers or English letters?"

"Hmm, it has a horn, maybe a cow. There are letters below it. Its spelt _NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME_."

"Damnit, this is Zero, everyone prepare to leave in 2 minutes outside the entrance."

"What is it, what happened?" asked Takashi.

"9 Paratroopers are going to attack us" replied Zero.

Khota was not surprised, "Zero-san, don't you think we can handle them with the cover this building provides?"

"Unfortunately no, these paratroopers are special, they were trained by me and excel in night combat."

Everyone was stunned, the kids knew Zero was good, but against 9 pupils trained by him is too much.

"They are unofficially designated as US Seal Team 9. Their insignia motto derives from their night combat specialty. They are the Night Nine, the burial corps."


End file.
